Metabolites involvement in the growth and spread of liver cancer

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), commonly known as primary liver cancer, is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, primarily attributed to changing lifestyles and dietary habits. HCC arises from liver cirrhosis, hepatic fibrosis, or hepatitis B virus infection, and is caused by disruptions in protein and lipid metabolism. These metabolic alterations, recognized as a hallmark of cancer, are pivotal in the progression of chronic liver disease to HCC. Due to its asymptomatic nature in early stages, HCC is often diagnosed at advanced stages when treatment options are limited. Despite being a potentially curative option, liver transplantation remains hindered by high costs and donor scarcity, further compounded by suboptimal long-term success rates. This review examines the critical metabolites that play a part in developing HCC, focusing on their roles as possible biomarkers for disease progression and therapeutic targets. Additionally, the influence of the gut microbiome on HCC development is discussed, highlighting its interplay with metabolic pathways. Understanding the roles of metabolites and the gut microbiome in HCC progression underscores the importance of their potential use in early detection and the development of targeted therapies, offering new avenues for improving patient outcomes.

Keywords

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) / Alcoholic liver disease / Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) / Metabolites / Gut microbiome / Biomarkers / Hepatitis

Authors’ contributions

Anurag Kumar Gautam: Writing - review & editing, Writing -original draft, Conceptualization. Vipin Kumar: Writing - review & editing. Archana Bharti Sonkar: Writing - review & editing. Amita Singh: Writing - review & editing. Deepankar Yadav: Writing - review & editing. Nitin Rajan: Writing - review & editing. Pranesh Kumar: Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Conceptualization. Sanjay Singh: Writing - review & editing, Conceptualization. Sudipta Saha: Funding acquisition, Conceptu-alization. Vijayakumar Mahalingakam Rajamanickam: Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition, Conceptualization.

Declaration of competing interest

All authors declare that there are no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Department of Science and Technology, Science and Engineering Research Board (DST-SERB), Government of India for direct financial assistance Grant No. EEQ/ 2020/000017 in the form of a Junior Research Fellow (JRF). The authors also acknowledge DST-SERB for offering further financial assistance from Strat-up Research Grant (SRG) Grant no. SRG/ 2021/002312 and instrumental support from Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science (EEQ) Grant No. EEQ/2022/000218.

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